John Batman - Geelong deed, 6 June 1835

C 101

fonds

6 June 1835

456018

Microfilm : CY 1324, frames 116-125 (C 101)
Microfilm : CY 1324, frames 126-132 (C 101/2)

1 folder - 0.01 Meters
Textual Records - (manuscript)

On 10 May 1835 John Batman (1801-1839) set out from Launceston to negotiate a treaty with the Aboriginal people of Port Phillip Bay in preparation for claiming an area for grazing. He returned on 11 June with two treaties, known as the Melbourne and Geelong deeds. The Melbourne deed comprised 500,000 acres which included the present city of Melbourne, the western arm of Port Phillip Bay and the city of Geelong. The Geelong deed of 100,000 acres included parts of the south coast of Victoria and the Bellarine Peninsula.

Copy of deed of grant of 100,000 acres of land to John Batman from eight members of the Dutigallar tribe. The document describes the location of the land as 'on the Bay of Port Phillip known by the name of Indented Head but called by us Geelong'. The deed bears the signature of John Batman and the marks of the brothers Jagajaga and five other Aboriginal men. The witnesses are James Gumm, Alexander Thompson and William Todd. The signatures of these three men differ from those on the copy of the Melbourne deed at Safe 1/90.

Information about the Batman deeds can be found in Rex Harcourt, 'The Batman treaties', Victorian Historical Journal, vol.62, nos. 3&4, Dec. 1991-Mar. 1992, pp.85-97.
Smaller facsimile copies of the Melbourne and Geelong deeds were made for members of the Port Phillip Association. One of these smaller copies of the Geelong deed is held at C 101/2. It was donated to the Library in 1953 by G.P. Bourke, a descendant of Governor Richard Bourke.
A copy of Batman's Melbourne deed is held at Safe 1/90.